Stadiums and Arenas of Canada part 2

[Speedy Gonzales]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Quite right. While the north stands were the "newer" of the two (having been rebuilt in 1971 ahead of the Grey Cup the following year; the south stands went up in 1959 I believe) there would have been major issues adapting other aspects of it to modern standards, beyond just the seating.

No kidding. Just look at Ottawa.

[SkydivePilot]

Originally Posted by DLLB

McMahon is a dump and a disgrace to Calgary!

Do you want to see a dump? Come and see to Regina's [old] Mosaic Stadium --- especially the east stands. Now THAT's a dump! In fact, in my opinion, it has been an insult to: Rider fans; Regina; Saskatchewan; visiting patrons; the CFL; visiting teams etc. I've been to McMahon, and it's not too bad compared to the old Mosaic.

[esquire]

^ The old guard of CFL stadiums that are up for replacement or were recently demolished (original Mosaic, CanadInns, Ivor Wynne) are/were highly outdated and very deficient structures. Anyone who hasn't set foot in one of them would have a hard time grasping how primitive they are/were in nearly every respect.

They are a completely different situation from the more common scenario of 1970s and 80s arenas/stadiums being demolished simply because they don't generate enough revenue, even though they are 100% serviceable and functional.

McMahon struck me as being above the three stadiums that I've named. It was a bit more like Ottawa's... old, but not really the kind of badly outdated and neglected dump as the others.

[Coldrsx]

Oilers fans brave the cold, ‘revelling in the experience’ of Rogers Place tour
MARTY KLINKENBERG
EDMONTON — The Globe and Mail

Mustaches frozen and steam billowing with each breath, more than 1,000 fans waited patiently to get their first look at Edmonton’s downtown hockey arena. Wearing mittens and balaclavas and Oilers jerseys and ski jackets, they laughed in the face of winter, and even danced in line at one point as they stood outside Rogers Place in Saturday’s -30 C temperatures.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/ho...ce-of-rogers-place-tour/article28234919/

[Trans Canada]

Originally Posted by elly63

Another part of that issue with IW was by renovating one side and building new on the other you were essentially creating have and have not sections of the stadium.

Mitchell answers questions
Steve Milton Sep 01 2011 theSpec.com

And, Mitchell says, potential builders will welcome the idea of constructing the north stands from the ground up, rather than trying to work around existing flaws, many of which are major.

“That’s 100 per cent accurate,” Mitchell said. “This creates cost certainty in the construction phase. You never know what you’re going to find out when you renovate. It might have involved all kinds of (capital) expense that wasn’t anticipated. And this prohibits the city from potentially having to spend tens of millions of dollars in maintenance of the north stands in the next few years.”

Additionally, having renovated north stands with uncomfortable bench seating and the same washroom and concession facilities as in the past would have meant that the Cats, and the city, were going to operate, in effect, two different facilities.

“What was clearly emerging was a have-versus-have-not scenario on the two sides of the stadium,” he said. “And that’s not conducive to effective cost management or a good in-stadium experience.”

Nah, being in a "have-not" section builds character! From Ottawa's franchise home opener:


Jean Levac / Ottawa Citizen - July 18 2014
http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/football/cfl/redblacks-beat-argos-in-home-opener

[speedog]

Originally Posted by SkydivePilot

Do you want to see a dump? Come and see to Regina's [old] Mosaic Stadium --- especially the east stands. Now THAT's a dump! In fact, in my opinion, it has been an insult to: Rider fans; Regina; Saskatchewan; visiting patrons; the CFL; visiting teams etc. I've been to McMahon, and it's not too bad compared to the old Mosaic.

And this is why I didn't compare McMahon to other CFL stadiums or pass judgement on McMahon as I haven't been to other outdoor CFL stadiums.

I only know what I've experienced at McMahon and from a perspective of just watching a football game it seems fairly well laid out. I also volunteer behind the scenes at McMahon and know a number of the staff that operate that facility very well and this is why I believe that McMahon could be refurbished to be a very good football facility.

But like I've sad before, ownership of this facility is what throws a wrench into everything but I am quite sure that if the powers that be ( CSEC, U of C, and the city of Calgary) really wanted to make something happen at McMahon, then it could easily be done. The space is there, the bones probably are capable, it's just whether or not the will can be found.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by speedog

And this is why I didn't compare McMahon to other CFL stadiums or pass judgement on McMahon as I haven't been to other outdoor CFL stadiums.

I only know what I've experienced at McMahon and from a perspective of just watching a football game it seems fairly well laid out. I also volunteer behind the scenes at McMahon and know a number of the staff that operate that facility very well and this is why I believe that McMahon could be refurbished to be a very good football facility.

But like I've sad before, ownership of this facility is what throws a wrench into everything but I am quite sure that if the powers that be ( CSEC, U of C, and the city of Calgary) really wanted to make something happen at McMahon, then it could easily be done. The space is there, the bones probably are capable, it's just whether or not the will can be found.

McMahon actually doesn't look half-bad on TV broadcasts either, IMO.

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by Acajack

McMahon actually doesn't look half-bad on TV broadcasts either, IMO.

Here is a decent look around, I can see where the concourses get cramped and we all know washroom facilities built in the 60s are not going to be great

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/mcmahon-stadium-s1246

[cjones2451]

Actually Stadium Journey does a great job of reviewing all the CFL venues

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/commonwealth-stadium-s1014

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/mosaic-stadium-s1758

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/bc-place-s975

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/investors-group-field-s2073

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/tim-hortons-field-s2166

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/td-place-stadium-s2079

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/percival-molson-memorial-stadium-s965

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/bmo-field-s133

(TFC based review)

[GernB]

Originally Posted by tomthumb2

I don't really recall this happening. Have sat everywhere in McMahon and have never noticed any areas with more legroom.

The bench seating areas in the end zones have 52 rows, while the seatback areas between the goal lines have 44. The upper bench areas all have ~20. Being 6'5" or so I have really noticed the difference, when I've sat anywhere other than the reds or blues.

[Daveography]

Mine from the Rogers Place Sneak Peek event:



More of my photos, and my write-up here:
http://skyrisecities.com/news/2016/01/new-photos-offer-glimpse-inside-rogers-place

[Coldrsx]

Facility, live entertainment managers named for Edmonton's Rogers Place

Two new management professionals have been added to the team that will run Rogers Place, Edmonton’s new downtown arena set to open in September.

Arena operator Oilers Entertainment Group announced Wednesday that Michael McFaul will be assistant general manager, facility operations, while Sheena Way will be assistant general manager, live entertainment.

McFaul was previously director of engineering and maintenance for BC Place Stadium, where he was responsible for venue operations including the retractable roof.,

Before that, he was director of facility operations for CenturyLink Field in Seattle, home to the National Football League’s Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer.

McFaul will oversee Rogers Place plant operations, building maintenance, conversions, ice plant, ice maintenance and operations, engineering, groundskeeping, housekeeping and building system operations.

Way’s entertainment industry experience includes retail operations, talent management and promotion. She previously worked with Canuck Sports and Entertainment, where she was responsible for all bookings at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Before that, she spent 12 years with Live Nation and House of Blues Concerts.

http://edmontonjournal.com/business/loca...anagers-named-for-edmontons-rogers-place

[Migs]

@YQRstadium via Jared Jones

[Black Star]

That looks really good.

[king10]

Further along than Hamilton was at this time 2 years ago and they had 5 months to finish not 17 months !

[HomeInMyShoes]

^Favorable weather for one thing. I'm not sure what kind of weather issues Hamilton, but the construction weather has been outstanding here. Only a few wind days and not much precipitation either.

[esquire]

I'm glad that the NMS team has learned from the mistakes of other new stadiums and will not be faced with a debacle over project delays. The funny thing about it is that venues such as THF and IGF didn't take inordinately long to build, but the timelines were just ridiculously optimistic.

[HomeInMyShoes]

^I work on non-construction projects like that all the time. Its a recipe for disappointment almost all the time.

[tomthumb2]

The scale of it is impressive, especially when you can see old Taylor Field in the shot!

[Oilkountry]

God Regina looks depressing though